A pioneering new clinical collaboration between a Cambridge start-up specialised in gut bacteria, and Cancer Care UK, is hoping to transform the approach to treating malignant tumours. Founded in 2016, Microbiotica has received backing from several venture capital funds to conduct its research trials with Cambridge University Hospitals.
The complexity of gut bacteria, known as the microbiome, has become increasingly evident, and its role has been recognised in a host of inflammatory diseases, as well as mental diseases such as depression. In recent years faecal transplants have already been used to treat antibiotic-resistant Clostridioides Difficile infections, that have caused many deaths among hospital patients withcompromised immune systems.
Even more intriguing, however, have been advances in understanding the role played by the microbiome in shaping our immune response to cancer and cancer treatments. The microbiome varies from one individual to another, and in combination with their genes, it is believed to be one of the major causes of why one patient might respond well to treatment, while another suffers debilitating side-effects.
Just like the human genome, the race is on to map the genomes of different species of gut bacteria in order to understand how they can be weaponised against cancer and other diseases. Faecal transplants, which in a small number of cases have caused death by also transplantingincurable pathogens, have long been viewed as a necessary but primitive approach that are only a prelude to far more effective outcomes. Given the sheer complexity of the endeavour, it is no surprise that research is coming of age at a time when huge advances have been made in machine learning and computing power.
Each of us is host to trillions of bacteria in our guts, weighing up to 2.5 kilos, Mike Romanos, CEO, and himself a seasoned researcher, explained to Innovation Origins. Those trillions are on average made up of two to three hundred species out of a possible 1300 or so, with EastAsians having noticeably rich and varied microbiomes and Americans of European descent having the most limited.
Analysing the genomes of these bacteria, as well as their many sub-strains, in order to understand how they interact and modulate our immune system is only part of the challenge. Before that can be done, it requires technology that can extract, isolate, and sequence the genomes ofsamples, while keeping fragile cultures alive at a scale and speed that makes Microbiotica an outlier in its field.
Thanks to a decade of pioneering work by Trevor Lawley at the Sanger institute, which is famous among other things for sequencing 40% of the human genome, we were well ahead of the game at the outset, said Romanos. His research made it possible to isolate the individual bacteria and sequence their entire genomes.
Microbiotica boasts the worlds biggest dataset of gut bacteria species together with their genome sequences, and it has also discovered previously undetected bacteria. Combined with its technological knowhow it can now conduct rigorous and unrivalled research at an industrial scale. It is able to take faecal samples from patients participating in clinical trials in many different areas of medicine, and use its databank to produce analyses that are 100% accurate.
We can conduct shotgun sequencing from stool samples, and map the gut bacteria and its entire genome for individual patients in short time, in a way our rivals simple cant, Romanos added. We have done plenty of benchmarking, and discovered our rivals are often missing up tohalf the gut bacteria in their research.
In an ongoing trial with Genotech, the company has already successfully discovered biomarkers in patients suffering from IBD which can determine whether they will respond positively to certain treatments. The latest oncology collaboration with Cancer Care UK and CambridgeUniversity Hospitals, aims to build on this type of research, and take it a step further.
Some cancers manage to hide from the immune system by triggering what are known as checkpoints in the immune system, thereby switching off an attack directed against them. In recent years a number of new cancer treatments have been developed known as checkpoint inhibitors. One such example is Pembrolizumab. These drugs can restore the immune system and direct it to attack the cancer. Inoperable cancers have been treated very effectively as a result, sometimes withcomplete remission.
Successful immune responses, however, occur in only 30% to 50% of the patients treated, depending on the cancer. It is now hoped that during treatment, co-therapies developed by the likes of Microbiotica, could broaden the effectiveness of these drugs by either finding new ways tomodulate immune responses, or by enabling the selection of patients ahead of treatment who it is known will respond well by identifying key biomarkers that determine their immune response.
Microbiotica was also cofounded by Cambridge Professor, Gordon Dougan, who has previously been a key player in major drug developments with pharmaceutical giants such as GSK. A former WHO advisor and world authority on epidemics and vaccine developments, he has also given his personal take on the current epidemic. According to Ramonos, they are also assessing whether they might have a role to play in helping to stratify patient responses to COVID-19 and future treatments, which have already been shown to be highly individualistic.
There is no shortage of potential partners and investors. The current oncological research being pioneered by Microbiotica is partly funded by venture capital, in particular Cambridge Innovation Capital, which is all too well aware that one checkpoint inhibitor drug alone, known asKeytruda, has an annual revenue of 10 billion dollars. Hence a treatment developed by Microbiotica that could broaden the effectiveness and application of this and other similar drugs, would immediately be able to tap into huge revenue streams.
It is hoped that one of the principal outcomes of Microbioticas collaboration with Cancer Care UK and Cambridge University Hospitals will be to identify specific gut bacterial signatures, and better understand how they assist or reduce the efficacy or side effects of treatments in individual patients.
The clinical studies will involve thousands of patients, making it one of the most rigorous ever conducted in this new area of medicine. In addition to identifying biomarkers, they will also be aiming to cultivate new co-therapies using live bacterial products, derived from the microbiome, which will directly assist the potency of other treatments and diminish, or entirely prevent, some of the often debilitating side effects. The cancers targeted by the research will include melanoma, nonsmall cell lung cancer, and renal cancer.
Visit link:
New Cancer Therapies found in the Gut - Innovation Origins
- Technion team discovers important adaptive strategy of the microbiome, impacting immune system - The Jerusalem Post - April 16th, 2024
- Targeting aging and age-related diseases with vaccines - Nature.com - April 16th, 2024
- Single cell analysis unveils B cell-dominated immune subtypes in HNSCC for enhanced prognostic and therapeutic ... - Nature.com - April 16th, 2024
- After the Smoke Clears: Scars on the Immune System - The Scientist - April 16th, 2024
- Exercise and the Immune System: What's the Latest Research? - Technology Networks - April 16th, 2024
- Analysis of immune cell infiltration characteristics in severe acute pancreatitis through integrated bioinformatics ... - Nature.com - April 16th, 2024
- Vaccination impairs de novo immune response to omicron breakthrough infection, a precondition for the original ... - Nature.com - April 16th, 2024
- Harnessing the power of the body's own cells to defeat cancer - Press Publications Inc. - April 16th, 2024
- Best Life: Immunotherapy targets brain cancer - Action News 5 - April 16th, 2024
- Dietary factors and their influence on immunotherapy strategies in oncology: a comprehensive review | Cell Death ... - Nature.com - April 16th, 2024
- New insights on B cells: Researchers explore building better antibodies and curbing autoimmune diseases - Medical Xpress - April 16th, 2024
- Immune cells' intense reaction to the coronavirus may lead to pneumonia - Science News Magazine - April 16th, 2024
- The telltale traces long Covid leaves in the blood - healthcare-in-europe.com - April 16th, 2024
- Overview of the Immune System - The Merck Manuals - March 18th, 2024
- SUNDAY Unraveling The Gut-Brain Connection: How Infant Gut Bacteria Shape Immune Resilience | TheHealthSit - TheHealthSite - March 18th, 2024
- Making drugs from T cells: The quantitative pharmacology of engineered T cell therapeutics | npj Systems Biology and ... - Nature.com - March 18th, 2024
- Study unlocks the mystery of neonatal neutropenia in newborns - News-Medical.Net - March 18th, 2024
- Vertebral Subluxation and Systems Biology: An Integrative Review Exploring the Salutogenic Influence of Chiropractic ... - Cureus - March 18th, 2024
- A new strategy to attack aggressive brain cancer shrank tumors in two early tests - ABC News - March 18th, 2024
- Turning on the Bat Signal - The Scientist - March 18th, 2024
- Power Foods That Can Support Your Immune System - Videos from The Weather Channel - The Weather Channel - March 18th, 2024
- Report: Aggressive brain tumors respond to new, immune-focused therapy - UPI News - March 18th, 2024
- Designer immune-cell therapy could shrink deadly brain tumors, early trials show - Livescience.com - March 18th, 2024
- 20.2: Introduction to the Immune System - Biology LibreTexts - February 27th, 2024
- Can one shot of yoghurt really boost your immunity and gut health? - Daily Mail - February 27th, 2024
- New cancer therapy approved by FDA supercharges bodys immune system - The Washington Post - February 27th, 2024
- How bubonic plague rewired the human immune system - BBC.com - February 27th, 2024
- Innovative therapy targets and destroys leukemia stem cells - News-Medical.Net - February 27th, 2024
- Participate in Our Study for $100; Open Slots This Week - University of Arkansas Newswire - February 27th, 2024
- Sexual dimorphism during integrative endocrine and immune responses to ionizing radiation in mice | Scientific Reports - Nature.com - February 27th, 2024
- Comprehensive pan-cancer analysis identifies the RNA-binding protein LRPPRC as a novel prognostic and immune ... - ScienceDirect.com - February 27th, 2024
- YOUR HEALTH: The HAMR fights cancer - WAFB - February 27th, 2024
- Cycles of a diet that mimics fasting can reduce signs of immune system aging, as well as insulin resistance and liver fat - News-Medical.Net - February 27th, 2024
- How the powerhouse of the cell could be cancers Achilles heel - Freethink - February 27th, 2024
- Food is medicine: The science behind zinc and other supplements for immune health - Healio - February 27th, 2024
- Unleashing Our Immune Response to Quash Cancer - Medscape - February 27th, 2024
- Tumor histoculture captures the dynamic interactions between tumor and immune components in response to anti-PD1 ... - Nature.com - February 27th, 2024
- Converging and evolving immuno-genomic routes toward immune escape in breast cancer - Nature.com - February 27th, 2024
- Sanjula Jain Urges a Comprehensive Approach in Address Alarming Rise in Cancer Cases Among Younger Populations - Managed Healthcare Executive - February 27th, 2024
- Cystic fibrosis breakthrough points to zinc as infection buster - New Atlas - February 27th, 2024
- Exploring synergies between B- and T-cell vaccine approaches to optimize immune responses against HIVworkshop ... - Nature.com - February 27th, 2024
- Is the 100-year old TB vaccine a new weapon against Alzheimers? - The Guardian - February 27th, 2024
- Immune system in the blood of Alzheimer's patients found to be epigenetically altered - News-Medical.Net - February 10th, 2024
- What impact does exercise have on your immune system? And how to stay well while cycling - BikeRadar - February 10th, 2024
- Had COVID recently? Here's what to know about how long immunity lasts, long COVID, and more - AAMC - February 10th, 2024
- Noor Momin harnesses the immune system to treat heart disease | Penn Today - Penn Today - February 10th, 2024
- Research reveals a process tumors use to induce immune suppressor cells and evade immunotherapy - Medical Xpress - February 10th, 2024
- Immune targeting of HIV-1 reservoir cells: a path to elimination strategies and cure - Nature.com - February 10th, 2024
- Preventing severe allergic reactions with nanoparticles - National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov) - February 10th, 2024
- Sugary handshakes are how cells talk to each other understanding these name tags can clarify how the immune ... - The Conversation Indonesia - February 10th, 2024
- Scientists have identified an immune cell that can cause allergies - EL PAS USA - February 10th, 2024
- Sickle cell and the importance of the immune system - Punch Newspapers - February 10th, 2024
- Which cancers can be treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors? - MD Anderson Cancer Center - February 10th, 2024
- How does waste leave the brain? Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis - February 10th, 2024
- Healthy Kids: Give your immune system a boost to stay healthy this winter - nbc16.com - February 10th, 2024
- The impact of prior exposure to hypoglycaemia on the inflammatory response to a subsequent hypoglycaemic episode ... - Cardiovascular Diabetology - February 10th, 2024
- Impact of Chronic Stress on Immune System and Depression | Health News - Medriva - February 10th, 2024
- I tried 'swamp soup,' the viral recipe that promises to boost your immune system - Yahoo News - February 10th, 2024
- Understanding Immune Checkpoint Inhibition Therapy: Challenges and Strategies - Medriva - February 10th, 2024
- One Simple Change May Dramatically Boost The Effect of COVID-19 Vaccines - ScienceAlert - February 10th, 2024
- The gut virome is associated with stress-induced changes in behaviour and immune responses in mice - Nature.com - February 10th, 2024
- Cancer vaccines are in the works to fight BRCA-linked gene mutations - The Philadelphia Inquirer - February 10th, 2024
- What are the organs of the immune system? - InformedHealth.org - NCBI ... - January 17th, 2024
- Novel insights into the immune response to bacterial T cell superantigens - Nature.com - January 17th, 2024
- FDA signs off on Takeda's HyQvia as maintenance therapy for CIDP - FiercePharma - January 17th, 2024
- CBDs Pobezinsky and Pobezinskaya Use Flow Cytometry to Determine How Tumor Cells Outwit the Bodys Immune ... - UMass News and Media Relations - January 17th, 2024
- Boosting. What To Do. - Science Based Medicine - January 17th, 2024
- Axelia Oncology takes its TLR2/6 agonist into the clinic to harness the innate immune system - BioWorld Online - January 17th, 2024
- Long COVID manifests with T cell dysregulation, inflammation and an uncoordinated adaptive immune response to ... - Nature.com - January 17th, 2024
- Opinion | Thanks to mRNA, Future Drugs Will Be Easier and Faster to Make - Mississippi Free Press - January 17th, 2024
- Elon research team models the COVID immune response, one equation at a time - Today at Elon - January 17th, 2024
- Are plant-based meals good for your immune system? 4 things to know about improving your health this week. - Yahoo Life - January 17th, 2024
- Scientists Find Key To Potential Breast Cancer Prevention, Treatment | Newsroom - UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine - January 17th, 2024
- What if every germ hit you at the exact same time? An immunologist explains - The Conversation - January 17th, 2024
- Why Don't We Have a Staph Vaccine? - Healthnews.com - January 17th, 2024
- Best ways to improve your immune system - The Business Standard - January 17th, 2024
- Stanford University researchers think future pandemics could be prevented with universal vaccines - KGO-TV - January 17th, 2024
- Why you may feel depressed and anxious when you're ill and how to cope with it - The Conversation - January 17th, 2024
- New mechanism with potential to boost checkpoint-blocking cancer immunotherapies identified - Medical Xpress - January 17th, 2024
- Battling Bugs and Blues: The Interplay of Infection and Emotion - News-Medical.Net - January 17th, 2024